Performance Punishment

When Doing A Great Job Feels Lousy

"Can you take care of this? I know it’s not your job, but you’re the only one I trust to do it right."

Sound familiar? If you’re the go-to person who regularly picks up the slack, you might be

experiencing performance punishment—when doing your job too well turns into a liability. Instead of feeling like a high-performing rock star, you end up frustrated, with more work and higher expectations than your peers.

Being the go-to feels good at first, but it often marks the beginning of a cycle that wears down high performers like fast-moving water over a sharp rock. This is especially true in fields like law enforcement, where trust, urgency, and accountability are always front and center. When leaders rely on a few dependable individuals to fix every problem, it creates burnout and allows poor performers to coast.

If you care deeply about your work or your coworkers, and if you're emotionally attuned or have built strong trust with leadership, it can be even harder to say no. You don’t want to disappoint or let anything slip. And so the cycle continues.

What Performance Punishment Is (and Isn’t)

Performance punishment is a consistent habit that develops when competence becomes a

magnet for responsibility. It happens when leadership depends on high performers to compensate for others who aren’t pulling their weight and never fixes the imbalance. The more capable you seem, the more work comes your way—even if it’s outside your role. And if you do it well again, you reinforce the pattern.

It’s sometimes confused with quiet promotion: when someone takes on higher-level

responsibilities without the title or pay. Quiet promotion often happens when resources are

strapped temporarily, or when red tape slows the pace of reward for good work. It can hit an entire organization equally when it’s all hands on deck to meet an unexpected need.

Performance punishment, though, is intentionally imbalanced and persistent. It happens because it’s easy to do and because the results have come to be expected.

The Gendered Weight of Unseen Work

Women in law enforcement report this experience a lot. They’re asked to mentor new recruits (especially other women), lead community programs (especially when children are involved), manage interpersonal conflict, and bring emotional stability to their teams.

And women in leadership aren’t immune. In fact, the more visible and capable they are, the more soft skills they’re expected to take on: mentoring, recruiting, fixing team dynamics, representing progress.

Outside of work, it doesn’t stop. High performing women manage the family calendar, handle school logistics, care for relatives, and keep relationships running. Even in households working hard to be equitable, the most competent person often ends up doing the emotional and logistical labor because they can, and because they won’t let it fall apart.

Strategies for Change

Performance punishment contributes to a toxic workplace. At best, it’s unsustainable; at worst, it’s damaging. While those who repeatedly take on extra work play a role in breaking the cycle, the responsibility doesn’t fall on their shoulders alone. Leaders who value fairness have a role to play too.

For individuals:

● Track what you actually do, including informal tasks. If you need to raise the issue, come

prepared with specifics.

● Ask for clarity when new work comes your way: “Where does this fit in my priorities?”

● Suggest ways to rotate tasks with peers, or train others while you’re taking on more.

● Use the language. Saying “This feels like performance punishment. Can we talk through

it?” can reframe the conversation. (This depends on your relationship with your supervisor,

but it can be effective if they’re open to feedback.)

For leaders:

● Notice the pattern. Who’s always being asked to step up, and who isn’t?

● Acknowledge invisible work like mentoring and culture-building, and give it equal weight

alongside other contributions.

● Build growth plans for staff who need to develop. Don’t just lean on the ones who already

shine.

● Protect time and authority for those doing the work that holds your culture together. It’s fine to rely on strengths, but not if the work is piling up unevenly.

If this article resonates, you're not alone, and you don't have to be stuck there. The pattern can change. It starts with awareness, shared language, and honest conversations about how work gets assigned. And that shift can help restore the energy and purpose that brought you to the job in the first place.

This article authored by Joy VerPlanck originally appeared in WomenPolice Magazine and is reprinted with permission.